Ole Miss is two weeks from the start of practice, 45 days from the start of the 2017 season and, thanks to a call to a hooker, now without its head coach.

Hugh Freeze resigned Thursday, although I’d guess that technical description is only to allow him to keep some small part of his dignity intact. He didn’t deserve it. A pattern of personal misconduct, discovered after an investigation into a January 2016 phone call to an escort service, meant that had Freeze not resigned, athletic director Ross Bjork would have fired him.

There’ll be no buyout, and Freeze is now running neck-and-neck with Art Briles for the dishonor of the most un-hireable man in football.

Yes, that’s right: Houston Nutt (whose lawyer found the phone call in a mountain of records) couldn’t beat Louisiana Tech, Vanderbilt or anyone else in the SEC by the end of his tenure. He sure as hell beat Hugh Freeze though.

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In this July 18, 2017 photo, Mississippi football coach Hugh Freeze considers a response to a question as he speaks to reporters during a Rebel Road Trip to visit with alumni and athletic supporters in Jackson, Miss. Mississippi announced Thursday, July 20, that Freeze resigned after five seasons, bringing a stunning end to a once-promising tenure. Offensive line coach Matt Luke has been named interim coach. AP Photo / Rogelio V. Solis

New University of Mississippi head football coach Hugh Freeze acknowledges members of his staff before speaking with Tuesday during the Central Mississippi Ole Miss Rebel Club's 2012 Rebel Reunion at the Jackson Convention Complex in downtown Jackson. The event featured autographs, head baseball coach Mike Bianco, head basketball coach Andy Kennedy and a silent auction. Greg Jenson/The Clarion-Ledger, The Clarion-Ledger

New University of Mississippi head football coach Hugh Freeze (left) talks with Douglas Noble,10, and Henry Lee,10, both of Jackson, during an autograph session at the Rebel Road Trip Tuesday evening in The South Warehouse in Jackson. Freeze and new athletic director Ross Bjork and staff are touring by bus to 15 cities to meet with boosters and fans. Greg Jenson/The Clarion-Ledger, The Clarion-Ledger

Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze gets a victory dunk by his players following their win over the Boise State Broncos in the 2014 Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome. The Rebels defeated the Broncos 35-13. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports Paul Abell, Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze reacts with his defense after they intercepted a pass late in the game and went on to defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Rebels defeated the Tide 43-37. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Marvin Gentry, Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze and wife Jill celebrate after the game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Rebels beat the Tigers 27-19. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports John Reed, John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze prepares to take his team onto the field to play the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2016 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports Chuck Cook, Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze gets ready to run out of the tunnel with teammates before there game against the Florida State Seminoles at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Kim Klement, Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze argues with a referee after a call during the fourth quarter of the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi won 45-14. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports Matt Bush, Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze looks onto the field during the second quarter of the game against the Memphis Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports Matt Bush, Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze walks onto the field during the second half of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi State won 55-20 Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports Matt Bush, Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

But that’s not the story right now, nor is it entirely about Freeze’s indiscretions. They’re unbecoming, shameful and absolutely a fire-able offense. Freeze also has a wife and three teenage daughters, and they’re going to get the worst end of things as that last name is dragged through the mud and made into a joke. He earned it, not them, and not just by his misbehavior but by holding himself up as something more than a football coach. No man is without sin, but when you strut about as if you are then people will delight in the fall.

Here’s the thing, though: Ole Miss set itself up for this — a Fall with Matt Luke as its interim head coach, a bowl ban and an NCAA decision expected sometime midseason.

Even Thursday, Bjork tried to explain what had happened and why you heard him defending Freeze’s record of NCAA compliance. Ole Miss made the decision to tie its fate to Freeze’s years ago, and that has not changed one little bit.

They’re going to have to go in front of the Committee on Infractions and, for the sake of the university, argue that former staffer Barney Farrar was a renegade, but the guy whose personal life was deceitful and a sham acted honorably professionally. Good luck with that.

Ole Miss put its ultimate faith and its football program in the hands of a Bible-quoting, God-fearing family man that promised in 2011 to play fast, score points and win football games.

CLOSE

Hugh Kellenberger and Antonio Morales take a look at Ole Miss' 2017 schedule and try to figure out how Ole Miss is going to fare this fall. Which are the toss-up games? How many do they have to win?
Hugh Kellenberger and Antonio Morales

And Freeze did all of those things, so Ole Miss kept doing anything it could to keep him as its head coach. He didn’t ask for a raise after the first season, but they gave him one anyway. When Florida came calling in 2014, athletic director Ross Bjork made sure Freeze stayed in Oxford (and eventually paid him more than $5 million yearly). When the NCAA showed up in town and went about a four-year investigation that even before Thursday threatened to cripple the program, Ole Miss stood steadfastly behind Freeze.

It was the act of a middling program desperate to be something more, determined to deal with the bad if the good meant a Sugar Bowl and maybe one day a Southeastern Conference championship. Until Thursday, July 20, a day that will now live in SEC lore.

That has to be the lesson here: No man is bigger than the program. The moment you think you are — or the university treats you that way — the fall from grace has begun.

Ole Miss will have to hire another new head coach later this year, and it must find one that will do things the right way all of the time. Because Hugh Freeze didn’t, and now look what a mess of things he made.